NATURAL BEEKEEPING: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES FOR THE BACKYARD APIARY

Mobile Botanical Gardens’s beekeeper, Veronica Culberson, and her entomologist professor father, Dr. Don Culberson, will present "Natural Beekeeping: Principles and Practices for the Backyard Apiary" on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Mobile Botanical Gardens. This class will uncover the vast differences in industrial and hobby beekeeping, how the standards for one don’t really apply to the other and how they may actually disadvantage the bees. The Culbersons will also discuss the whys and hows of honeybee behaviors, what the bees want and how to use their natural tendencies to support their health and production. Other topics include apiary site selection and setup for healthy and productive colonies, hiving options, sourcing livestock, inspecting your bees and record keeping, supporting rather than preventing swarming, natural disease and pest management, expanding an apiary organically and how to learn from failures. The class is $40 for members and $45 for nonmembers. For more information, visit https://mobilebotanicalgardens.org/event/natural-beekeeping-principals-practices-for-the-backyard-apiary.